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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
It’s just not the vibe. I find the author main voice very annoying, don’t really understand why she’s so obsessed with this Russian diplomat. It’s only 200 pages and I’ve been reading it for like a month. Feels like a chore. Life’s too short.
Por favor, ¿porque no pillamos todo el sufrimiento que pasa Annie y se lo pasamos a, no sé, Pablo Motos?
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
reflective
emotional
sad
medium-paced
this one is truly for the ernaux completionists. longer than the majority of her memoirs and fiction, and unlike those other books, so repetitive. some moments of great insight but overall felt very interminable. i did enjoy how she drew parallels between her current romantic situation and previous times in her life, but for the first time while reading ernaux i felt irritated. but hey, maybe the relentless repetition is what needs to happen behind the scenes for her to produce such sharp, concise memoirs.
i think i would’ve liked this more had it been a more general diary and not so laser-focused on the affair that is the subject of her book simple passion. not sure if the solution would be to read this directly after reading simple passion? (it’s been years since i read that one but i do remember enjoying it. if you haven’t read it stay away from getting lost) sad this one didn’t work for me because the diary of one of my favorite writers would usually be catnip for me!
“I am sickened by time, by the image of that vanished self, though I care nothing for her because I prefer myself now. But that self is contained in the present one, along with the others, like millions of Russian dolls.”
i think i would’ve liked this more had it been a more general diary and not so laser-focused on the affair that is the subject of her book simple passion. not sure if the solution would be to read this directly after reading simple passion? (it’s been years since i read that one but i do remember enjoying it. if you haven’t read it stay away from getting lost) sad this one didn’t work for me because the diary of one of my favorite writers would usually be catnip for me!
“I am sickened by time, by the image of that vanished self, though I care nothing for her because I prefer myself now. But that self is contained in the present one, along with the others, like millions of Russian dolls.”
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
DNF. Honestly just exceptionally boring. The writing is good, introspective, but come on. How many times am I supposed to read the same phrasing over and over, will he call, when will he call, etc and the sex scenes are also boring.
This is an incredibly direct and intimate account of desire, obsession, loneliness. The fact that the book is the actual diary entries of over a year means that this is not an easy reading. There is no edited narrative. The structure is not a literary device. Ermaux chronicles this period as an author whose intention is not to record a series of events in time but rather understand her own emotional journey. So, indeed there is repetition, going back and forth and revisiting past traumas but her voice is honest and uncompromising. Relentless as well and, even if you have never obsessed about a relationship the way it is described here, this is the kind of book that will probably leave you emotionally drained. If you are looking for an Anna Karenina or Madame Bovary story (as misleadingly mentioned in some of the description blurb), skip it ...